by Ashlee Price
She wasn’t sure, but she decided that putting her bag down would be a good start. Her shoulder was sore from carrying it throughout the day and a rest sounded better than a dance around the fire. “I think I would like to put my stuff away first. I should have brought less.”
Sebastian smiled, his brown eyes twinkling at her. “That is the idea. Come with me. I will show you around and you can put your things down, get something to eat.”
She thanked him and followed him towards the crowd of people. It seemed like everyone was out there and their names were lost in the sea of faces. Ashley was a bit overwhelmed, but she was happy to be there. Not everyone made the cut at Sunshine Commune and she was happy to be one of them. She knew that it was the best place for her to be at the time. Ashley wanted to learn all she could about sustainable farming, but she was not prepared for all of the attention from the men. Out of all the males there, there were three times as many women. It seemed that they were in dire need of more men and she wondered why they were more than happy to accept her into the fold. It seemed to her that the balance of the commune was already severely off.
It was strange to be getting so much attention and she found herself a bit overwhelmed with so many other women around. Ashley was beautiful in her own right, but it was as if she were fresh meat there to be inspected. She had sun-streaked strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes that made a man’s heart melt and she heard several comments about how pretty and young she was. She had just turned eighteen and her youth was like an elixir to the men. She was introduced and her hand was kissed by half of them, yet their names became a blur as soon as she heard them.
“Thank you for being so welcoming.”
There was a group around her and soon she was in the circle, smoking and relaxing. It wasn’t what she had expected, more like what her mother had foreseen, but Ashley wasn’t going to think about it right then. Instead, she got a bit of a buzz and went to bed. There were a couple of offers to share a bed with someone else, but she declined. It was too soon to be playing musical beds and she didn’t want to be that girl, but there were temptations.
Telling everyone good night, she went to lie down on her small cot in a room with several others. The men and women were sprawled out in every room and she fell asleep to the sound of the commune sharing love. Most men were engaged with one of many women and the noise was hard to get out of her mind. Ashley had not been expecting so much of the love part, but it gave her interesting dreams to say the least.
Chapter 2
“Good morning sleepyhead. I didn’t get to meet you last night, I’m Ana.”
Ashley opened her eyes to a woman about her age. The girl had brown hair and matching eyes. She was smiling down at her and Ashley sat up.
“Nice to meet you Ana, I’m Ashley.”
“I know. I am here to get you for the harvesting. Sebastian said that you wanted to hit the ground running on the farming, so I was sent to come get you.”
Ashley rubbed her eyes and looked around her. Most of the sleeping places were empty now and when she looked outside of the cob house, she saw that the sun was almost up in the sky already. “Sorry, I don’t know why I slept so late.”
Ana shrugged and helped her up. “No worries Ashley. There are no alarm clocks around here. But it is nice and warm, pretty day to do some nut harvesting.”
Ashley had to agree. She went to her bag to find something to change into. She had slept in the clothes that she had arrived in and traveled in. What she really needed was a shower, but as she looked around she didn’t see one. When she asked about it, Ashley was directed towards a bath house that had several showers.
“Why don’t you get cleaned up and I will meet you out here in a few minutes.”
“Thanks Ana. I appreciate you helping me.”
She waved her off. “We are all new here at one time. I remember how overwhelmed I felt when I first came here.”
“How long have you been here Ana?”
“Almost a year. I was going to leave but Sebastian asked me to stay and be one of his girlfriends and I never left.”
“One of his girlfriends?”
“Yes, he likes you. I can see why. You are very beautiful. I hope you decide to stay as well.”
Ashley thanked her, but she had a weird feeling go over her. She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend and certainly not one that had many women or was as old as Sebastian was. He wasn’t her type and she couldn’t see herself with a man like that. As she looked at Ana, she had to wonder why such a pretty young girl would make that decision. But she was not there to judge, so instead of saying anything about it, she went into the shower room and had enough shock in there as well. Ashley did notice this dull look in the girl’s eyes that made her wonder.
Turning away, she moved into the bath house. It was not just naked women in there, but men as well. There was one man that she remembered as Troy from the night before. The only reason she remembered him was how cute he was. What she had not been prepared for was to see every inch of him so suddenly.
“Ashley. Welcome. I hope you are finding everything okay.”
She nodded, trying not to look down at the semi hardness in between his legs. “Yes thank you.”
He moved out of the way from one of the showerheads. “I am done now, here.”
She blanched as he moved closer to pass her, looking back as he walked away. He was handsome, that much was clear. Ashley felt herself getting red in the face. This was not the kind of free that she had thought she would find there. Everyone around there had no compunction to get naked in front of each other, but Ashley was finding it hard to do so.
Turning around, she took her dress off and hung it up the best that she could to cover herself. She heard a giggle next to her and smiled at her. “First day is always a bit weird, but you get used to it. Just bodies right, how we were born and all?
Ashley nodded, but she still tried her best to avert her eyes. “Yeah I guess you are right.”
“Well Troy is a bit more, but you will get used to it. He likes you.”
Ashley didn’t know what to say. She had already been told that morning that two men wanted and liked her, but she didn’t know either one. Ashley was starting to worry that her mom had been right about that place. It was just one big orgy and she was on deck it seemed.
She worked as fast as she could to get clean and get out of there. She dressed before she left the shower area and found Troy talking to Ana. They took her out to the orchards and she spent the day picking nuts from the trees and off the ground. It was a lot of work and she was exhausted by the time it was all said and done. Her clothes were dirty and she was ready to get cleaned up before dinner.
Troy went with her again into the shower, as well as Ana. When the two started to kiss and touch each other, her face turned red and she left as soon as she could. It was just a bit too free loving for her, but everywhere she went, there were people in all stages of undress and sex. It was like one big mass of bodies after the fire was lit.
Ashley decided to take a walk instead of staying for the festivities around the fire. There was dandelion wine being passed around and after a few sips, she excused herself and started out towards the orchards from before. She just needed some quiet and some time to think.
The moon lit her way and she passed the orchard. She was going to stop and sit under a tree, but the air felt too good and the walk made her feel awake. That was what she was looking for, peace and quiet and nature. Ashley wasn’t even worried about everything else.
She crossed over a fence and kept walking. The land changed, becoming flatter and less trees. Ashley saw a couple of cows and then horses, but she kept on going. Ashley didn’t stop until she heard a clicking sound behind her and turned around. “This is private property Miss. You need to turn around and get off this land.”
Ashley turned around slowly and was affronted with a man holding a rifle. It was pointed at her and it was all that she could focus on.
“I’m sorry Sir. I was just out for a walk.”
“You are a couple of miles from your little commune sweetie. It is bad enough that you guys move next door, the least you can do is stay on your side.”
Ashley had never seen a gun up close, let alone had one pointed at her. She started to back up away from the man. She couldn’t see him from the tall hat shadowing his face. Tripping on something behind her, she fell.
“Come on, I am not going to hurt you.”
He put the gun down and put a hand up to help her up. “I am sorry for this, but I can’t seem to keep you damn hippies off my land.”
“I just got here yesterday Sir. I wasn’t under the impression that walking would get me shot.”
“I am not going to shoot you. I was just trying to scare you.”
She grabbed his hand and he helped her up. “You did a good job of that. I was trying to figure out why I was here, but now I am thinking I shouldn’t be.”
Grahm looked at the woman and couldn’t help but feel bad about it. She looked scared even in the darkness and his heart sunk. “I am really sorry, okay. My name is Grahm.”
She shook his hand and looked around. Ashley became aware how alone they were and she worried that the man with the gun would take advantage of that. “Just let me go and I won’t come back here ever again.”
He nodded and picked up the rifle he had set down. “I can’t let you walk in the dark. I will take you back.”
“No that’s okay, really.”
Grahm wasn’t taking no for an answer. He nickered to his horse that stopped in front of them. Ashley couldn’t see anything but his black eyes staring down at her. She had never ridden a horse before and the beast was huge next to her. “Please, I am okay to walk.”
“You don’t want a ride there?”
She looked up at the horse and nodded her head. “No thank you Sir.”
“It’s Grahm and I must insist.”
Ashley looked at him for a minute and even in the moonlight she could see that he was used to getting his way. He wasn’t backing down and she was under the impression that she didn’t have much of a choice.
“Your insisting sounds a lot like a command Grahm.”
He sighed. “Take it as you will.”
He helped her up onto the horse and he could feel her shaking under his fingers. “Are you still afraid I will hurt you? I promise I won’t.”
“No, I have just never been on a horse before. I am afraid I am going to fall.”
Grahm jumped up behind her and grabbed her around the middle. Ashley gasped as her body was pulled back on his hard one. He pulled her harder against him and she could feel the need behind her. It was suddenly more intimate than the showers that morning and she could feel her face getting hot. When his arms wrapped around her, she settled back against him.
“Hold on and I promise I won’t let you fall. You can relax.”
“Ashley.”
“Hold on Ashley. I will have you back in no time.”
The horse took off like a shot and she thought she was going to fall off. She held onto the horn of the saddle and was relieved at the hard arm around her waist.
Chapter 3
“I told you I got you Ashley. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
It was a funny thing to say since he had a gun pointed at her only a couple minutes before. The ground beneath her was quickly moving and she closed her eyes, leaning back so that she didn’t have to see how fast they were going. Grahm could feel her body tensing and trembling slightly.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, but kept her eyes closed tight. “Yeah I just really don’t want to fall.”
He chuckled behind her and pulled her closer. “We’re almost there Ashley.”
She took his word for it, not able to open her eyes. Ashley felt safe in his arms, knowing that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, even though she didn’t really know him all that well. There was something about the way that he held her that made her sure that he wouldn’t do anything to harm her.
“Thank you, but can’t we go a little slower?”
He laughed a bit and then held her closer. The horse slowed down and the new gallop seemed to push him against her harder. Each move made his knot push against her rear and it made the situation that much more intimate. She opened her eyes and saw the commune from where she was dropped off.
The horse stopped and he slid off of it. “Like I promised, back home safe and sound.”
Ashley took his hand as he helped her off the back of it. “This isn’t my home, but thank you Grahm. I will make sure not to go on your property again.”
He wished that he hadn’t been so gruff with her. After riding behind her for ten minutes and the feel of her, Grahm was starting to think that he should have just let her go. “You are welcome if you ever want to come back. I could give you a few lessons on a horse. That is, if you are going to be here for a while.”
Ashley nodded, but she still wasn’t sure about him. Her body had reacted to the closeness, but he still made her nervous. “Can I ask you a question?”
He shook his head and lifted his chin up. She could finally see his face and he was more handsome than she had thought he would be. Grahm was older than her. Maybe early thirties and his dark eyes were brown. His face was chiseled and the way he was looking at her, made her shiver.
“Why are you so against the commune?”
“Because you have a couple of old men that started it and ever since then, nothing but young girls like yourself have shown up. I see it as a handful of men taking advantages of a lot of young girls.”
“They are all eighteen.” Her mind thought about Sebastian and how she had thought about the same thing. “It’s not all about sex and drugs Grahm. I am here to learn about sustainable farming. I know that Sebastian is a pervert by any stretch of the word, but it is not why we are all here.”
“You haven’t been here long Ashley. Just take care of yourself. You are too sweet to be mixed in with all of these people.”
Ashley didn’t disagree, but she didn’t feel that it was as bad as he made it out to be. She wondered why he was so against it, but she didn’t want to push it. “Well thank you for your concern Sir and for the ride. Maybe we will meet again on better terms.”
Grahm got on the back of his horse and tilted his hat towards her. He was hoping that they would meet again as well. Ashley watched him leaving and saw him look back once with his dark eyes. He was definitely not who she thought she was going to meet.
Ashley walked back the short walk to the commune and saw that most of the people were in bed or laid out together in the grass around the fire. It was becoming apparent to Ashley that Grahm may be right, her mother may be right. The commune was starting to look like an orgy more than anything else. Ashley saw the girl from earlier in the day Ana with Sebastian and another girl as she made her way to the cot. She could feel their eyes on her, but she just ignored them because she wanted to get some sleep. It had been a very strange day.
***
Grahm rode home slowly and thought about the newest addition to the commune next door. It had been the bane of his existence for a long time. Ever since Sebastian and the rest of them started to move in, it had been one big party. It disturbed the horses and the fence line near the property didn’t even get eaten on. Sometimes he caught them sneaking around his house and Grahm had gotten to where he would patrol at night when he couldn’t sleep. He hadn’t expected to meet someone like Ashley. Most of the girls he had seen in town were flaky and usually three sheets to the wind. But Ashley seemed different.
He went to bed thinking about the way she had felt against him and then how long it had been since he had been with a woman. It was hard to understand how a man like Sebastian could have so many pretty women, but the idea that he could have Ashley made him pause. He was actually upset about the very idea of it.
When he woke up the next morning he found himself looking towards the f
ence that separated the properties. He hoped to see Ashley push through the tree and then be there. He had offered her a horse lesson and hoped that she would take him up on it. She never did though. It was over a week of looking out for her, but she never came back. He figured it was because of the gun and he remembered the fear in her eyes when they had first met. He had been so adamant about the hippies that he had maybe gone too far. While a gun was needed out there for coyotes and whatever else was lurking in the night, he shouldn’t have pointed it at her. He knew that now, but he feared he had scared her away for good. He hated to think that, wanting a second chance.
Chapter 4
“So what happened to you last night, Ashley? We looked for you and we couldn’t find you anywhere before bed.”
Ashley smiled at Ana. She had seen then before she had gone to bed and Ana had been with Sebastian. She wanted to ask who the ‘we’ was, but Ashley was afraid that she was talking about her and Sebastian. Ashley couldn’t think of anything that she would have actually wanted to say to them. “Oh, I just went for a walk. Ran into the rancher on the next property over.”
She looked shocked for a moment. “Oh, was he as bad as everyone makes him out to be? I have never met him, but people talk about him like he is really mean.”
Ashley couldn’t agree with that assessment. While in the beginning he had down right scared her, it hadn’t lasted long. There was something about him that she decided she liked, even if he was more commanding than she was used to. He had been a complete gentleman and that was what she remembered most. The way he had held her, even though Ashley had been scared out of her mind from being on the back of a large moving animal, she had felt safe in his arms.
“No he was kind of standoffish at first, but he turned out to be really nice.”
Ana looked like she didn’t believe her. “Sebastian told me and several others just to stay away from the fence line and away from him. They had a falling out when they first moved here, something like he didn’t like us.”